Nancy Lee Blankenship Berry, formerly of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, lost her courageous and arduous battle with cancer Sunday, February 12th, 2023, peacefully at her home in Connecticut with her husband, Douglas.  She was 79.  Nancy was born to Wilma Busacker Blankenship and Marvin Franklin Blankenship while Marvin was home on furlough before being deployed to the European Front during WWII.  Marvin was killed in action before his 23rd birthday in France when Nancy was a toddler.  He was awarded the Purple Heart, among other awards for his service and sacrifice.  Nancy attended Gering schools and graduated with the Class of 1962.  She attended the University of Nebraska for a year and a half and then married Douglas Berry, also of Scottsbluff.  After his graduation from UNL, they moved to Huntington Beach, California where he had accepted a position with Ford Motor Company, and they went on to live in 5 different states across the country on both coasts over the course of his career.  Their two sons, Timothy and Robert were born in southern California.  When the boys were in middle school, the family was transferred to Michigan, where Nancy decided to return to college working toward a degree in English and Education.  She received her BS from Eastern Michigan University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from National University in Sacramento, CA.  Eventually, she received teaching credentials in five states and taught both English and Sciences at elementary, middle and high school levels.  While teaching, she loved creating and developing teacher resource materials.  Numerous pieces of her poetry and teaching ideas were published in a variety of magazines and resource books.  Her last seven years in education were spent in administration, as a school administrator and then district office coordinator of state and federal programs.

Nancy was very interested in family history and researched archives online and visited many cemeteries in numerous states where she was able to locate her family's first ancestors to come to this country from England in the 1600's, including members of the Miner branch of the family who were the founding fathers of Stonington, Connecticut and the third Church built in the US, still standing there today.  She was a self-published author of several books preserving the ancestry of her family for generations to come, honoring the accomplishments and sacrifices of those that came before us, which she was passionately determined to do.

Nancy took every possible opportunity to travel and cruise the US and the World, including journeys of the heart where she would retrace her father's footsteps through Europe during WWII with her sister, Barb.  She was an avid lover of all things beach.  She could be found taking hundreds of photos from which she would create various albums, photo books, and keepsakes of nature, wildlife, family, and friends.

She was a gifted creative mind always preferring to 'think and create' rather than watch television or movies, except when it came to sports like football, basketball and especially women's collegiate basketball.  She enjoyed putting together incredible themed events, which were famous for their 'over the top' décor and favors.  She was always on the go and was not one to like being cooped up for too long.  She was President of her Homeowner's Association in Nebraska and was fully active right up to her family vacation at The Cape last summer, when her cancer was discovered, and she went immediately into treatment.

Nancy is survived by her husband, Douglas and her 2 sons, Timothy (Kathy) and Robert (Kim), grandchildren Jacob (Deanna), Mitchell, Nicole Jean Lee (Peter), Toby, Robert, and James.  She is also the loving 'big' sister to Dennis (Jeannette, deceased), Gary (Ginger), Barbara, David, deceased (Patty), and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

Burial will be private.  If you would like to pay tribute to Nancy's memory, please consider making a donation in her honor to your favorite Veterans Charity or Educational Foundation, and kindly be sure to advise the family so they can express their appreciation to you.

Arrangements are being handled by Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home and you can find a permanent tribute wall to Nancy on their website at munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.